Ben Gurion Urges U.S. Parents to Send Their Children to Israel for Permanent Settlement

September 1, 1949

TEL AVIV (Aug. 31)

An appeal to Jewish parents in the United States to send their children to Israel for permanent settlement there was made here today by Premier David Ben Gurion. "Even if they decline to help us, we will bring the youth to Israel," the Premier of the Jewish State declared. He expressed, however, the hope that "this will not be necessary".

Mr. Ben Gurion made his appeal in the course of an address at a farewell party for the American Histadrut delegates who spent three weeks in Israel visiting various parts of the country and studying various aspects of life in the Jewish state. "I am positive that you are returning to the United States with the feeling that it was worth your while to devote many years of toil for Zionism and for the creation of our state," he told members of the delegation.

"Although we realized our dream of establishing a Jewish state, we are still at the beginning," the Israel Premier continued. "Today there are only 900,000 Jews in Israel while the greater part of the Jewish people is still abroad. Our next task will not be easier than the creation of the Jewish state. It consists of bringing all Jews to Israel.

"You saw how difficult it was to bring in and to absorb 200,000 immigrants. But we are determined to bring millions more and I am positive that we will bring them. We appeal chiefly to the youth in the United States and in other countries to help us achieve this big mission. We appeal to the parents to help us bring their children here. Even if they decline to help, we will bring the youth to Israel, but I hope that this will not be necessary," the Israel Premier concluded.

David Remez, Israel’s Minister of Communications, addressing the American delegates, similarly appealed through them to the Jews of the United States to send American Jewish youths to Israel.